Little Miss Hollywood
by cullenbabe
Summary: Bella is a spoiled,scheming daughter of a rich Hollywood film producer.She meets and falls for mysterious Edward who seems to be totally immune to her charms.She tries to fit into his world,hoping he'd learn to love her back.How can his love change her?
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: The Usual: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I don't claim to be the creator of any of the characters. Just playing around with them – for no profit but to have fun, if I may add.

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**Okay. So, I'm starting a new story. This has been broiling in my brain for about 2 weeks now and just wanted to get this out. Tentatively, the title that jumped in my head is "Little Miss Hollywood". I googled this and was surprised to find out that there's a 1923 film with the same title. That movie has nothing to do with this story. I don't even know what that's about or if it has any similarity with my plot but I just felt that this title was appropriate for this particular story. **

**Some of you might be turned off by Bella's behavior in the beginning of this story but I promise, with Edward's help she will do a complete turnaround and be the sweetheart that we want her to be. Let's give this Bella a chance, ok? **** This is definitely a B&E pairing and I always like happy endings so yeah, they're going to end up together at the end…**

**Again, please bear with Bella for the first few chapters. Hope you'll enjoy reading this one ;p**

**No update yet for my first story "The Second Time Around" but will work on that as soon as reviews convince me to continue with that one.**

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**CHAPTER 1**

My eyes stalked him the whole night.

His green eyes, full lips, lean, muscular body, bronze, wavy hair, brooding stare, his every single languorous movement entranced me. He looked totally amazing in a black tuxedo. His long, slender fingers wrapped gracefully around a champagne glass (What kind of magic can those fingers do to me, I wonder?). Never before had a man captured my attention the way he did. I felt my lace underwear get wet as I stared at him, heat radiated all over my body. _God, how I want to go home with you tonight, Mystery Man,_ I thought to myself smirking.

"… we can take my father's yacht and just go where the wind takes us, my sweet," an irritatingly squeaky voice broke my trance. I stared blankly at the source of the said voice, completely forgetting his name. What was it? John? Jason? Blank. Beady black eyes and an earnest, almost pleading, look evident in his youthful, tanned face. Not bad-looking, I mused.

"Oh, you mean that dinghy that you generously label a "yacht"?" another male voice retorted beside me. "Isabella deserves to be treated like a princess and you know that only Henry Thomas Charles Rockwell IV can give you that. Right, Isabella?" I unwillingly shifted my gaze to a tall, blonde guy standing straight and proud to my left. Hmmm… reminds me of a peacock – beautiful, showy and conceited. Who's Henry Thomas Whatever again? Oh, no. Was he talking about himself? In the third person? Seriously?

I caught myself as I almost rolled my eyes at these two losers charging their horns, so to speak, right in front of me.

"Boys. Boys. You need to straighten this out among yourselves. It's such a turn off when guys argue in front of me. I don't like it. Anyway, I need to go greet my father and talk to you two later," I said in my usual sultry voice, gently shoving my near-empty champagne glass to "squeaky John/Jason-whatever-his-name-is" and walked straight towards Mystery Guy, exaggerating the swaying of my hips. Well, no point in wasting my time with those two when I can spend "quality time" with the man I've been drooling over the whole night.

My steps did not falter as I headed towards him. I'm going to have him and no one will get in my way.

I am beautiful.

No one can argue with that.

I'm beautiful and young, rich, spoiled rotten, the only daughter of a famous and obscenely wealthy Hollywood movie producer (which, by default makes me famous and obscenely wealthy as well). My father, Charlie Swan, is highly esteemed in this small kingdom of thespians, genuine artists and actor wannabes. I was a prominent young figure in the Hollywood scene myself -- no, not in the movies. Mostly, in every spectacular social event thrown by movie moguls, film outfits, divas, "supernovas" in moviedom, my name never fails to come up in the guest list. My life is a never-ending series of red carpet events. Sure, I haven't really done anything fabulous or outstanding with my life so far (I'm only nineteen years old after all) the way my father has but is it really my fault if his fame reflects on me as well? Should I be blamed if events organizers value my presence like I was another sparkling jewel that would bring more shine to their affairs?

With my beauty, charm and wealth, men fight over me. That's not an uncommon thing. _Huh!_ _Mystery Guy_ _definitely can't resist my charm. Nobody can,_ I thought as I continued to slink my way straight to him, licking my lips as I anticipated a night of intense passion, licking and sucking and moaning with my Mystery Guy.

"Hello," I greeted, using my sexiest "fuck-me" voice.

Mystery Guy turned around, slightly surprised. Looking at me from head to foot. He smiled tightly, gave me a curt nod before turning his back again.

_WHAT?!!! He didn't just ignore me!!!_ Something just snapped and screamed inside me. _I'm sorry but absolutely nobody snobs Isabella Marie Swan!!!! _Impatiently, I tapped his right shoulder. If this wasn't reality, I swear smoke would be coming out of my ears right now.

A frown evident on his forehead, he turned to face me. As he shifted his body, a tiny, black-haired girl with spiky hair, wearing a shimmery black dress that fit her small frame like a glove, appeared behind him. Pretty, I suppose, but she can't compete with me. I'm so way out of her league.

Raising my eyebrows at Mystery Guy, I smugly placed my hands on my slender hips. "I was talking to you. Didn't your mother teach you the proper way to treat a lady?" I challenged, lifting my chin defiantly.

The frown deepened. His sexy lips became nothing but a thin line. Angry, was he?

"I recall acknowledging your greeting. But as you can see my date and I are deep in conversation here. I do not want to be rude to her. She's a lady and she deserves my full attention. I'm sorry if I offended you in any way. Excuse us," and with that, he led "Tiny Girl With The Spiky Hair" to the dance floor, pulled her close to him and the two of them swayed to the slow, sweet beat of the music.

To say I was furious was an understatement. My face burned with scorching heat, my fists tightly clenched into balls at my sides. I struggled with the urge to march up to them, physically separate the two bodies curved to each other, kiss my Mystery Guy senseless to snap him out of his stupidity for ignoring me and my lust for him and hmmm…. probably give "The Tiny Bitch With The Spiky Hair" a slap or two. The visual that that created almost made me smile and cooled me down a bit.

I grabbed an icy glass of champagne from a tray carried by a waiter that passed by. Tossing it back quickly, I took another one, reveling in the cold feel of the smooth liquid going down my throat. Usually, my confidence does not need any boost. Tonight however, I might need a little bit of liquid courage to carry out the devious plan that's concocting in my brain as I stared at the soon-to-be unfortunate couple dancing in the middle of the ballroom.

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love her or hate her? Review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:**** All Twilight characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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**A/N: Some of you might be turned off by Bella's behavior in the beginning of this story but I promise, with Edward's help she will do a complete turnaround and be the sweetheart that we want her to be. Let's give this Bella a chance, ok? ******** This is definitely a B&E pairing and I always like happy endings so yeah, they're going to end up together at the conclusion of this story....**

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**CHAPTER 2**

My eyes continued to follow him everywhere he went. Somehow, I'd find a way to be just a table away from him, striking up a conversation even with people I don't know just so I could be near him. Unfortunately, the tiny girl was by his side the whole night. He seemed to have eyes for only her.

As I observed the dynamics of the two closely, I tried to figure out how he must feel towards the spiky-haired pixie. He was very attentive to her, always slightly bending his head towards her so he can hear whatever she's saying over the strains of soft music and animated chatter in the room. He seemed…. loyal? Devoted? As to the girl, she appeared … secured with him, I thought to myself, grasping with the appropriate word to describe my observations. They must have been together a really long time to act like this around each other, like a couple that's been married forever, I smirked at the thought. _Wait! Are they married?_ I swallowed hard and froze at the thought, a pang of jealousy started to build up inside me.

Immediately, I stood from where I was sitting, at a table next to theirs that was occupied by a group of male models. Sure, they were all drop-dead gorgeous and I bet majority of the women in this room, young and old alike, would kill to be in my place sitting and casually chatting with them. However, I was bored to tears as they talked nonstop about their latest projects and product endorsements.

_Oh, I really do hope my Mystery Guy's worth all this effort I'm going through,_ I thought to myself as I walked purposefully towards the object of my obsession and his "date". Hmmm… I really, really like him but he still has to pay for his ill behavior towards me earlier.

"Oh, excuse me." I said trying my best to sound seductive but at the same time innocent, standing tall and straight behind Mystery Guy's chair. "Nina," I announced to the blonde girl sitting beside him on his right side as I rested my hands on the back of his chair, lightly touching his shoulders. Nina Banner is the daughter of one of my father's colleagues that I never particularly liked or talked to. Her surprised, or should I say, frightened eyes shot up to me. She looked at me warily as if she was expecting me to hurt her.

_Well, it's good she learned her lesson after flirting with my date last Christmas. Huh!_ I just left my date, Jacob, to go to the ladies' room and when I got back, I saw her chatting him up and making googoo eyes at him. Bitch. She went home crying that night after the waiter carrying a tray full of red wine passed by us and "accidentally" tripped over my extended foot and dumped all of the said drinks on her chest, totally ruining her white Gucci dress.

"Remember Jacob? He wants to get your phone number. Here," I fibbed, staring straight in her eyes, silently commanding her not to argue. I sidled between Pixie and Mystery Guy's chairs, bent my body towards the table such that his face was at eye level with my chest (my dress had a wickedly plunging neckline by the way), and pushed my phone towards the blonde girl.

Resting my left elbow on the table, I cupped the left side of my face with my hand and smiled seductively at Mystery Guy. We were now face to face, eye to eye, my glossy lips merely a few inches away from his. I was so close to him that I could feel his body warmth and smell the tantalizing aftershave he's wearing. My body now basically blocked Pixie from Mystery Guy's view. Ha. Ha.

Nina quickly punched her number on the keypad and pushed back my phone to me as if it burned her hands.

"Here, Isabella." Her voice slightly trembled. _Yes, that's right. Be afraid of me,_ I inwardly smirked. As I retrieved my phone, I did what I came to do – to check if Mystery Guy has a wedding ring. I almost did cartwheels when I glanced at his hand and the ring finger was bare.

"Thanks," I replied without looking at the poor, terrified girl and pushed myself gracefully off the table, doing a little shimmy so that my slinky dress that slightly rode up my hips will settle back on its place. I turned, giving Pixie a brief look, flipped my hair and walked off to mingle with my so-called friends.

"Hey, princess! You look gorgeous," Mike said in a lazy drawl, his eyes sweeping up and down my body in an appreciative gaze.

I shrugged nonchalantly and stood beside him by the bar as I deleted the number that Nina programmed into my phone. Lauren and Jessica, sat on red, metallic stools to Mike's left side. Turning, I rested my back against the counter and snatched the cool glass of bubbly from Mike's hand. I sipped it slowly all the while staring fixedly at the table I just left a few seconds ago.

"Isabella, you've been staring at that man candy for God knows how long now. You've been circling that guy like a vulture. Go and get him already!" Lauren said, chewing bubble gum slowly.

I raised an eyebrow at her, making no comment and kept on sipping from the glass.

"Oh, no! Don't tell me he's not interested in you?" Jessica gasped as she stared at my face, gripping the countertop, obviously astonished. I must be doing a bad job hiding the disappointment from my face.

"Do you see the midget he's with? She clearly needs a little lesson from me so she'll leave him alone." I nodded towards their direction, my eyes narrowing with displeasure.

"Isabella. Isabella. Keep your sharp claws off that girl. Look at her! She looks so nice!" Mike said, shaking his head, smiling as he caressed my bare arm.

"Why don't you go bed her already if you think she's so "nice"" I challenged him, doing air quotes in front of his face.

Lauren, Jessica and Mike. I went to school with these three and have been with them since forever. Our parents were close friends so we find ourselves gravitating towards each other every time there are parties like this. We were more like "partners-in-crime" rather than bosom buddies really. We co-exist in a relatively peaceful manner and band together when there's threat of bullying from outside our circle or when we want to bully some poor kid. So, now that I have a plan brewing in mind, I'll need the participation of these three to carry it out successfully.

"Listen up. I have a plan. This is what's going to happen…." We huddled together as I proceeded to explain my strategy in detail, making sure that each one clearly understood their roles. Proper timing is a must to achieve the desired effect. There's no room for mistakes.

I was very familiar with tonight's program so I pretty much worked out my plan around it. Fortunately, I knew Angela Weber, the party organizer so after I have laid out my plan with my three "sidekicks", I left them to search for Angela. I found her speaking to the DJ in the corner of the ballroom and whispered to her to bring out the crowd to the pool area at the back of the mansion so we can start the auction. Good thing, my father was hosting tonight's party so she did not hesitate to do what I asked of her.

"Beautiful people, It's time for our auction to start. Y'all know it! This night is for charity so please bring your checkbooks and follow me to the garden out back." Slight chuckles were heard as the elegant partygoers shuffled their way out of the ballroom into the cool open air through wide French windows held open by uniformed waiters.

The people started to gather around the swimming pool as the stage was set up in the middle of it. The stage was festooned with ferns and various leaves and flowers, befitting the night's theme which was about "going green" and preserving nature. The pool water was dyed green and shiny, multicolored balls with glowing leaves and flowers in them floated on the surface, creating a beautiful and magical effect.

Angela carefully crossed the narrow bridge adorned with fresh, fragrant flowers and vines. It was specially built so that people can safely cross over the water to reach the stage at the center of the pool. She grabbed the cordless microphone, cheerfully greeted all of the guests again and started the affair by bidding off a two-week Mediterranean cruise. Hand signals shot up here and there as the bidding war became intense.

To my delight, Mystery Guy and Pixie Girl stood near the edge of the pool. Aha! Exactly where I want them to be. My eyes narrowed in pleasure. My lucky stars must be perfectly aligned tonight. I held out my hand. As gross as it may be, Lauren took out the bubble gum from her mouth with her thumb and index finger and placed it on the tip of my right index finger.

I signaled to Mike who stood a few feet away from the unsuspecting couple. I then moved my feet in an unhurried pace towards them as he started to walk in the same direction as well. I turned my head towards the stage so it will appear like I wasn't looking where I was going. As if on cue, I threw my body forward as if I tripped, colliding with Mike's huge, muscular chest. He flailed backwards, forcefully bumping the couple. They stood no chance with the force that Mike hit them with as they helplessly plunged into the water. I caught myself before laughter bubbled up from within me. Have I mentioned that I managed to extend my hand towards Pixie Girl's hair when my body contacted Mike's so that the bubble gum that was in my hand found it's way into her hair before she fell into the water?

As I stood at the edge of the pool, looking down at the two people immersed in green liquid, I decided to utilize what little acting skill I acquired from watching the movies my dad produced to good use. I widened my eyes like big saucers, one hand covering my open mouth as if I was surprised and stunned by the "accident".

"Oh, heavens! What happened?" an old lady with a face that looks so painfully stretched exclaimed.

"Fuck! That water must be freezing!" One chimed in. Ah, how wrong he is. We have a heated pool. The two drowned rats must be so thankful for that fact now.

Everybody gathered around the pool to witness the exciting situation going on.

As my eyes went back to the two people in the water, I saw Mystery Guy's blazing gaze, his green eyes almost black with so much anger. I almost laughed however because he's green all over, the dye from the pool coloring his skin and clothes. He turned to the tiny woman beside him, asked something and in response she nodded calmly while pushing her wet hair off her face. She seemed barely affected by all of this, I mused. He hugged her tightly and then pulled her gently to get out of the pool. Pixie Girl's all green as well. Good thing she's wearing black so she won't be going home in clothes with that horrible shade of green, I thought to myself, slightly amused. Well, well. Together they almost look like The Incredible Hulk and She-Hulk. Suddenly, I couldn't hold back my laughter anymore. It came out as an inelegant snort when I tried to stifle it. By this time, they were both out of the pool. He hugged her to his side and deliberately walked towards me.

"Did you do that on purpose?" he asked me in a quiet voice, anger evident in his tone.

Before I could answer, my beloved father half-ran towards us.

"Oh, God. Edward, Alice, what happened to the two of you?" he asked, deep concern unmistakable in his voice. I just stood there, still as a statue, my face totally devoid of emotion.

"Come here, sweetheart," Dad said as he pulled the girl named Alice in an embrace. He motioned to a maid and one came rushing with two thick blankets in her arms. She covered Mystery Guy with it and gave the other to Pixie Girl. Dad helped cover her tiny body with it and hugged her again. _What's up with Daddy? Shouldn't he even ask me if I got hurt or something? Traitor. Hmp!_ I thought to myself, slightly miffed that my own flesh and blood was showering my "enemy" with attention.

He then turned to give me a narrowed look. I raised my eyebrows and shrugged silently saying that I didn't do it intentionally. He narrowed his eyes some more in suspicion.

"Come on, guys. Let's get you upstairs for a shower and a change of dry clothes." He ushered the two by their shoulders towards the direction of the house. "Oh, Isabella. Come with me. Let's get some clothes for these two."

I shook my head. "No, Daddy. You go ahead. I'll just ask Helen to bring them clothes. I'm not feeling so well. I think I hurt my foot or something." I heard Mystery Guy snort in disbelief. I ignored him.

"Fine. Fine. Let's go." And with that the three turned.

WTF! What are those two to my father anyway? Why is he treating them like … like… like he loves them or something? Hmp! I stalked off towards the house, completely ignoring the snickering of Lauren, Jessica and Mike. Once inside, I headed to the huge kitchen and went straight to the refrigerator and grabbed my favorite comfort food --- double fudge brownie ice cream.

I was halfway through the pint when I heard somebody cough at the doorway leading to the kitchen. My eyes snapped towards the direction and my heart leapt to my throat as I saw Mystery Guy… uhmm… or Edward, as my daddy called him, looking gorgeous in jeans and a black shirt that hugged his lean body.

A few years ago, Daddy talked to some people and used one of the huge rooms in the house and converted it into something that resembled a boutique. It was stocked with shoes and clothes of varying sizes and styles for the male and female guests that suddenly decide to stay for the night or whatever. So, that's where he got the new change of clothes he's wearing now. He's lucky my daddy's always prepared for emergencies, like a true blue boy scout.

Edward's skin still had a slight tinge of green. He must have scrubbed himself really hard to get rid of it, I thought as I inwardly smiled.

"Why did you do it?" he said with barely concealed anger.

_Look innocent, Bella. Look innocent. Don't admit to anything._

"Whatever do you mean?"

"You planned that to happen."

"Nope."

"You did."

"Whatever. You're free to think whatever you want to think anyway."

"She didn't do anything bad to you."

Shrugging, I scooped another spoonful of ice cream and shoved it in my mouth, staring at him with Bambi eyes.

"You're so childish."

My mouth gaped open, the now melted ice cream almost leaked out.

"_What did you say?!"_ I whispered incredulously.

"I said: You. Are. So. Childish." he said slowly for emphasis.

That does it! I'm angry now.

"How dare you say that to me! You don't know me!"

"What you did to Alice was rude and childish. She didn't deserve it. She didn't do anything to deserve your ire."

My ire?! My ire?! He has no idea just how great my "ire" is at this moment!

"You were the first to be rude." I finally uttered giving him a stare so cold it could have brought on snow in the middle of summer.

Silence.

He shuffled his feet as if embarrassed.

"I'm sorry if I offended you, but still … Alice didn't deserve what you did to her tonight," he said quietly, still not breaking his gaze that was locked on mine. Was he trying to guilt me into something? He took a deep breath and released it loudly. "I'm sorry for being rude to you earlier, Bella." He said, pushing his hair back with his hands. Suddenly, the gesture seemed familiar to me. I just couldn't quite place who in my past did that. My heart thudded erratically as I looked intently at him. He really was gorgeous. He could've given the male models I was with earlier tonight a run for their money. His angelic face was almost perfect except for the slightly crooked nose that still blended perfectly with his features. Actually, it wasn't just his face that attracted me. He was so different from the men in my social circles. He seemed really intelligent and deep and serious. Mystery Guy. The "quiet type". What was it they said again about "the quiet ones"? Hmmm…

I placed my spoon on the sink and walked towards him.

"Ok. I forgive you. Are we friends now?" I breathed in a whisper as I stood in front of him, raising my head and standing on tiptoe, I inched my lips closer to his as I locked my hands behind his neck.

His amazing green eyes pierced into my brown ones. A few more inches and I can taste his beautiful mouth. My heart tripped in anticipation and excitement as my eyes closed, waiting for his kiss. Suddenly, he was gone, leaving my hands in the air and when I opened my eyes, he was already standing at the doorway far away from me.

"I'm not sure about that. Goodbye, Bella." He said to me coldly and abruptly left.

Grrr!!!! That … that… that insufferable man! He's really getting on my nerves now!

"Miss Bella. Your father wants to see you in his office." Helen, one of the maids, announced as she came in the room.

"Alright. Thanks, Helen." I replied as I stalked out of the room and headed to my Daddy's office inside the house.

When I reached the gigantic double doors, I turned the brass door knob and peeked in. "Daddy?"

"Isabella Marie. Come in."

Uh-oh. This can't be good. It's never a good sign when he calls me by my full name.

He motioned for me to sit on an oversized, leather armchair in front of his mahogany office desk. I sat down slowly. I started to fidget with the hem of my dress when it took him a long time to speak. His brows were furrowed, his fingers touched at the tips as if he's contemplating something really serious.

Finally, he spoke. "What made you do it, sweetheart?"

"Daddy, I didn't…"

"Tut. Tut. Tut. Don't deny it now. I know you, Bella."

I huffed, crossing my arms in front of my chest in a defiant pose. I clamped my lips together.

"Do you know who those two are?"

"Mary Alice Brandon and Edward Cullen." He announced. I looked blankly at him, trying to convey that the names are making no impression on me whatsoever.

"So? Should those names mean anything to me? I mean, I know of an Edward Cullen who's a famous pianist but I think he's a stodgy, old man…."

"One and the same. He's Edward Cullen the famous pianist and he's not old, obviously. How about the name Mary Alice Brandon? Ring any bell?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. That name too sounds vaguely familiar, yes, but I just can't quite place it… My eyes suddenly widened in recognition. "Oooh!!! Mary Alice from Washington? She would visit us here with her parents when I was nine years old, right?" My father nodded his head vigorously, obviously pleased that I remembered. He motioned for me to come towards him and I stood up to sit on his lap.

"Yes. She's my godchild, remember? And Edward. Do you remember Edward came with them for two Christmases and stayed with us here in the house during those two occasions?" he trailed off as I played with his bow tie. I've always been Daddy's little girl. So, this attitude he's showing me now is totally strange to me. Okay, I'll let him vent in a few minutes but I'm sure by the time the night's over, I'd still get my way and he'll forget all about this.

My thoughts went back to Edward. I suddenly remembered that the first time he came to our house, he was thirteen years old, lanky, painfully shy and awkward at that time. I didn't recognize him because his hair was lighter in color then and his face was more angular now as compared to the rounded, boyish features he had a decade ago. His family was very close with Mary Alice's. I think they've been best friends since they were in diapers.

"Edward's father, Carlisle, if you still remember was my best friend in our hometown Forks and we went to school together till college. We just lost touch when I moved here and got busy in the crazy world of show business."

He paused and hugged me to him. "They're practically family to us. So, what I'm telling you here, Bella, is that … you should apologize to Edward and Alice. What you did was rude and inexcusable."

I couldn't believe my ears. He's obviously out of his mind!

"But, Daddy!" I exclaimed in protest, projecting an exaggerated pout that I have skillfully mastered and used to emotionally blackmail my father into submitting to my demands.

"No. No. Stop. I know I've spoiled you rotten. You got away with a lot of awful things without any severe punishment from me. But this time around… I'm not going to allow that. You embarrassed people that have been good to us…"

"You don't love me anymore." I crossed my arms again, sticking out my lower lip as I managed to squeeze out a few tears. I swear, I deserve an Oscar award for my performance tonight.

"Don't be like that, sweetheart. You know that you're my life," he paused as he wiped the tears on my cheeks. "But I'm serious this time. I will take your credit cards and your fancy cars if you don't apologize … sincerely, if I may add, to Edward and Alice."

"You can't do that to me!" I gasped in shock, absolutely horrified, and totally convinced that my real father was abducted by aliens and that this man before me is a fake.

"This time, you wouldn't want to find out the hard way if I'm bluffing or not. I'm seriously pissed this time, Bella. Seriously."

"But Daddy, there's really no big harm done. They're intact – no broken bones, no scraped skin, no bruises. C'mon! And the dye, Angela assured me they're completely going to come off in a day or two…" I whined loudly, sniffling for effect.

"Bella!" his voice boomed and for the first time in my life I got a bit scared of him.

He breathed in and out slowly as if controlling his temper. Uh-oh. Daddy seems to be really, really angry this time.

"Listen to me. You did something wrong. You need to make amends. I'll give you three days to muster the courage to apologize to the two. In the meantime, you're going to have to surrender ALL your credit cards and car keys. No chauffeur for you as well, princess," he commanded in a firm voice. "And no hitching a ride with your friends. No taxis, limousine service or car rentals."

"But how am I gonna go out?" I asked, looking at him as if he's lost his marbles.

"That's the point. You're not. If you want to sneak out, ride the bus."

"WHAT????!!!! RIDE THE.... BUS?!!!! That's really heartless of you, Daddy!"

He just shrugged. I quickly stood up and stomped towards the door.

"Okay! Okay! I'll apologize if that will make you happy, seeing your only daughter groveling, humiliated by other people. Wait till Mom hears this!" I grumbled, putting my hands on my hips in an aggressive stance. "But give me one month to…"

"No. Three weeks."

"Two weeks," I bargained, hoping that he'd give in.

"One week. That's final. No apology, no credit cards, no car keys."

I stomped my foot in disappointment, turned the door knob, stepped out of the room and tried to slam the door shut behind me. Stupid thing won't even cooperate with me as it slowly closed with the aid of the hydraulic door closer and clicked gently as the lock caught.

I decided to ditch the party altogether and hid in my room the rest of the night. I changed into my silk pajamas as I lay down on my cushy bed. Hugging my incredibly soft pillow close to my cheek, I let my mind freely wander and instantly, his name flashed in my mind.

Edward Cullen.

He must be incredibly stupid to be completely unaffected by my attempts at flirting. No male has ever snobbed me before the way he did tonight. Or… his vision must be severely damaged so that's why he wasn't attracted to me. That must be the reason why he needs that girl Alice beside him all the time. She could be his guide like a sight dog or a "human cane" or something. Yes, that must explain their closeness.

_Or…. _

I gasped.

_He must be gay!!!_ Now, why didn't I consider that before? I was practically throwing myself at him and he seems to be completely impervious to my charms. Could Mike be more of his type?

Well, I'll soon find out. I'll ask him when I go to his place to apologize, I decided, as I yawned loudly and closed my eyes to sleep.

His beautiful face suddenly flashed in my mind again. I sighed deeply.

Right before I succumbed to sleep, a genuine smile formed in my lips as I thought of the prospect of seeing Edward again.

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**A/N: I know. I know. This Bella is really annoying, snarky, horrendous, rude, obnoxious, stuck up -- an all-around bitch. Again, please give her a chance because she'll redeem herself as the story develops. I don't mean to offend anybody esp. with the part about Alice being like a "guide dog" and a "human cane". That's just our bitchy Bella talking ok? I swear she'll be a sweetheart soon.., so please keep on reading.. and reviewing :p**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:**** All Twilight characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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**A/N: Bella's change starts from this chapter. Yey! There's still a lot of attitude coming from her but towards the end we'll see the beginnings of her transformation. So, hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Again, thanks to those who faved and alerted this story ;p you're awesome ;)**

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**CHAPTER 3**

Two days.

It's been two days and I haven't done anything to go up to either Alice or Edward. Figuring out the best way to apologize was really difficult --- especially for someone who's not used to it. Like Me.

So on a hot summer day, as I was taking a dip in the pool (which by the way, has been refilled with totally clean, clear blue and chlorinated water), I mused on the perfect way to execute my "act of contrition". My hackles rose at the thought of personally saying "sorry" to that girl Alice because of course I'm convinced that she deserved what I did to her. This time though, I have to carry out this apologizing thing flawlessly, more to alleviate my father's anger rather than to appease her. I have to make this work if I wanted my credit cards and my cars back. My life sucks without them.

I got out of the water, ambled to the teak chaise lounge beside the pool and sipped the cool raspberry lemonade that was waiting for me.

Okay. So…. I ruined her dress and probably, her hair as well. The first one was very simple enough to replace. The hair…. If she can't take the bubble gum out of it, I won't be surprised if she has a big bald spot on her head right now. I chuckled at the visual that created. I might have to get her a wig too but wait… there are a lot of cool wigs now. Lady Gaga looks cute in some of her wigs. I wonder if I should've done something more "extreme" with "Spiky Midget". Oh, well. Too late for that now.

Clothes… There's only one person to call. I picked up my pink cellphone, looked up the number and pressed the green button.

"Hi, Rose!"

"Why are you calling me at an ungodly hour, Bella? Are you in trouble? Do you need me to bail you out of jail or something?"

Ha. Ha. The girl thinks she's so funny.

"What do you mean "ungodly"? If you don't notice, it's almost noontime, Rose."

"Oh, is it? Aaargggh!! I overslept." She groaned as I heard sheets rustling in the background. She might be getting out of bed now.

"Listen. Can you do me a favor? I need you to pull together several great outfits for this girl …."

Rosalie Hale is my personal stylist. We met through my cousin, Emmett, who happens to be Rose's longtime boyfriend. Rose is really terrific in what she does. She totally has earned my respect because she knows how to put me in my place and never tolerated any of my crap. Actually, we're really close and I consider her to be my best friend.

"Wait… you're asking me to glam up another girl? Are you feeling alright?"

"Of course I am. Don't be silly!"

"Bella, since when did you care about somebody else?"

Ouch.

"Hey, that's really below the belt, Rose. You think the worst of me. I wonder if you're really my friend…"

Unfortunately, she's right. She knows me so well. Never in a million years will I ask her for a favor for somebody else's benefit – unless I had something wicked up my sleeve, that is.

I rolled my eyes and decided to tell her what happened two nights ago and why I'm asking her to make a house call to another girl who I barely know. Rose can be very picky with her clients. She usually accommodates only those who are solidly backed up by her existing clients such as their close friends or relatives.

"Well…. if you're not up to it I can call Kim. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help me…." Kim Taylor was her stiffest rival in the industry.

"Go ahead and do that, Bella, and you're dead to me," she said in a threatening voice. I know she loves me though and she doesn't really mean it. I heard her suck in a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "Fine. Fine. Fine. Give me her name and address."

I glanced at the blue paper that the maid brought into my room earlier. On it were Alice's and Edward's contact details written with my father's elegant script. After I dictated the info to her, I ended the call, shrugged into my robe and walked back into the house.

Now, how about Edward? How will I apologize to him? I have to figure out something really good soon so that I can get my life back on track. I've been cooped up in the house for two days and people have been looking for me left and right. I feel like my youth's wasting away in this house. Of course, I've thought of bringing the party people over but my dad will kill me, for sure. There's no other way but to get this over with… and soon.

I spent the rest of the afternoon reading in the library. This is one thing that I never let on to other people: my love for books. My father knows of this and that's why he had this huge library built for me. My mom, Rose and Emmett, too. Other people just perceive me as the stereotypical party girl: dumb, border-alcoholic, promiscuous. Sure, I'm fun-loving, a "whore" for attention, can be really nasty and scheming but I was far from being dumb, alcoholic or easy.

I just started Chapter twelve of Wuthering Heights when Beyonce's "Daddy", my ringtone for my father, sounded off.

"Hello, daddy!"

"Bella, what's Rose doing over at Alice's? I just got a call from her and she told me that you asked Rose to bring her clothes?" he said, his tone incredulous.

"But, daddy, you told me to apologize," I whined.

"Yes, honey. Apo-lo-gize. Would you care to look up the definition of that word? Has the meaning of the word changed over the course of a decade? Because the last time I checked it means you should acknowledge your fault. I expect you to go up to her and say you're sorry about what you've done."

"But that's not how I apologize, daddy. Actions speak louder than words, remember? So, by sending Rose over to give her a whole new fab wardrobe, I'm telling her "I'm sorry". She should appreciate that, daddy!"

"Isabella… " I can almost see him pinching the bridge of his nose now. I chuckled silently. He's going to give in. I just know it!

"Look. It's a great idea to replace Alice's ruined dress. Really. I'm all for it. However, I'm going to ask Felix to drive you over to Alice's today. You do the conventional "Alice, I'm sorry for what I've done to you. I promise I won't do it again. Can we be friends?" bit. Okay?"

Silence.

"Honestly, I don't know you anymore, daddy," I croaked, tears started to well up in my eyes. He's really bent on humiliating me in front of that girl.

"Just give me a call after you've done it, okay?"

"Okay. I'm not sure about the "friends" thing though. I really don't like her."

"Sweetie, Alice is a truly nice girl. You just might like her once you get to know her."

"I don't need her as a friend, daddy. I've got a lot of friends, as you know."

"It won't hurt to have another one, honey."

I just huffed to let him know I don't exactly agree with him, said "goodbye" and decided to give "Spiky-haired Girl" a visit.

---------

So, Spiky-haired Midget Girl lived in a mansion as well. That's a big surprise. I was expecting her to be … ok, I was _hoping _she'd be less well off than me -- one more reason to dislike her. Hmp!

When I tapped the brass door knocker shaped like a lion's head, a middle aged woman opened the door. She had a really friendly smile so that I couldn't help but smile back at her. I told her I was looking for Mary Alice Brandon. Her smile widened and motioned for me to come in. She walked ahead of me and led me towards an impressively huge hall. Female laughter resonated clearly from the room at the end of it.

When I reached the doorway, I couldn't believe my eyes with what I saw: Rose and Alice doubled over with laughter, surrounded by a mountain of clothes, drinks and junk food, having what seems like girl bonding time.

So, there's another traitor!

I coughed loudly.

"Oh, there you are, Bella!" Rose called out while wiping her eyes from tears that squeezed out from laughing too hard. "You didn't tell me Alice is so much fun!"

_Is she for real?!_

Rose straightened up when she saw my livid expression. She knows now that I'm not pleased with her getting all chummy with this girl. She coughed nervously and stood up.

"I have to get going now. Have to move on to my next client. So… I'll see you this week, Alice! You've got my number, right?" Rose announced cheerfully to Midget and gave me a sideways glance warily.

Alice just nodded, smiling brightly at Rose. The beautiful traitor then walked over and hugged me.

"Goodbye, Judas!" I whispered to her, injecting venom into my tone.

"Psh!!" she just retorted, flipped her hair and made her quick escape.

So, now it's just Alice and I left in the room.

"Hi, Bella. What brings you to my place? Won't you sit down?" she chirped merrily. That stunned me. Shouldn't she be rude towards me for what I've done to her?

"My dad sent me over to apologize to you."

She laughed out loud. I winced inward.

_I knew it! This was going to be the most humiliating moment of my life. She's just going to laugh at me! _

Suddenly, Alice clamped her lips together when she saw my pained expression. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. I know how this must be so difficult for you…"

_This I dedicate to the loves of my life: my black Amex Centurion and Mercedes Guardian that are currently being held hostage by my father against my will_, I thought as I inhaled deeply, steeling myself for the upcoming mortification: "Alice, I'm sorry for what happened the other night. I didn't mean to do it," I hastily said.

_There! I did it. _

She stared at me. I squirmed from where I was standing. _Almost._

"Of course, you meant to do it, Bella." She giggled, stood up, walked towards me and held my hands. This girl must be a masochist. Didn't she realize what bodily harm I am capable of inflicting on her?

"Come. Sit down." She said as she pulled me to the couch and turned to face me. "Bella… you like Edward, right?"

_Why is she asking me this?_ I just nodded, slightly suspicious about where this line of questioning is leading.

"I think I understand where you're coming from. You liked him. He took no notice of you. You thought I was his girlfriend. You got mad and did what you did." Tilting her head, she continued to smile and stare at me, her face softened with kind understanding.

Again, I nodded, too surprised that I could find no words at this moment. She just was being too nice to me and I wasn't used to it. People usually either fought back or cowered at the sight of me after I pull a "prank" on them.

"If you really like him, I suggest that you change your … approach"

I stared at her like she grew horns. _She's giving me advice now?_

"You see, Edward is… a bit on the conservative side. He doesn't like girls who come on too strong. So, I think next time you should be more subtle, you know," she said in a conspiratorial tone.

"Why are you saying this to me? Shouldn't you be mad at what I did to you?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "Of course, I'm mad but I got over it. I'm awesome like that. I don't really dwell on negative emotions," she laughed and reached out for some chips and popped some into her mouth. "And besides, I may have done something like that one time to a girl who was flirting with my boyfriend, Jasper," she said laughing.

"So, Edward's really not your boyfriend?"

Vigorously, she shook her head. "Nope. We're really, really close though. He's my best friend. Hey, don't you remember that we stayed twice in your house before? You and I, we used to play with your mom's clothes. One time she caught us wearing her sexy black dresses and high heels. I thought she was going to go ballistic! She walked away and when she came back, she brought us some of her fabulous jewelry instead and let us play with her big make up traincase, too, remember?"

I giggled along with her when the images popped in my mind. _Oh, yeah! I had good times with this girl. Somehow, I just forgot_. Suddenly, I saw her in a different light. She was no longer competition.

We spent about an hour or two talking about clothes and stuff, places that we've been to, high school and a lot of other things. I was amazed to find out that I'm really genuinely beginning to like her. By dinnertime, I was still there so she asked me to have dinner with her and I didn't decline her gracious offer. Over the sumptuous dinner, we talked and giggled some more. She really is a cool girl.

We were eating a sinfully delectable chocolate cake for desert when I suddenly remembered the bubble gum.

"Uhm, Alice. What happened to the bubble gum in your hair?" I shyly asked her, too guilty now to lift my eyes from staring at the cake.

"Peanut butter," she simply stated, biting into another mouthful of cake.

"Huh?"

"I rubbed peanut butter into the area of my hair with bubble gum and shampooed it off. No big," she shrugged, her smile never wavered.

I just nodded, slightly embarrassed by my juvenile act towards her.

It was close to ten in the evening when I told her I had to go. She nodded and walked me to the front door, her arms linked with mine.

"Thanks for everything, Alice. Dinner was truly fantastic and… so is the conversation."

"Yeah, dinner was really fun. Thanks for coming over to apologize, Bella. I hope we can be friends from now on."

I simply nodded with a smile, said "Goodbye" and stepped out of her house.

"Oh, Bella! Edward's single!" she called out to me as I stood near the driveway, happily waved goodbye and closed the door.

_Daddy's right._ _She's not so bad after all, _I thought to myself as I walked towards the car waiting to take me back home.

**------**

**Review, review if you like where this is going …**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:**** All Twilight characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**---------------**

**CHAPTER 4 : **

Sweating bullets.

That's what I was doing in front of Edward Cullen's front door.

For almost fifteen minutes now.

I just couldn't get my frickin' hand to knock on the goddamn door. So, here I am sweating bullets for almost fifteen minutes in front of the great Edward Cullen's door and I couldn't bring myself to just knock. How hard can that be? I know, right?

Hell, I'm a confident woman and I can do this! So, I raised my right hand, balled it into a fist and was about to rap on the door when it suddenly flung open.

Stunning green eyes met mine.

"H-hi," I stammered, my hand still in mid-air.

Running his hand through his bronze hair, he just stared at me. No smile, no nothing.

"What are you doing here? How did you know my place?" he mumbled as he turned around to lock the door.

What? He's leaving?

"You're leaving?"

"Yes. You didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?" he said coldly and started to walk towards the elevator.

"Where are you going?"

"Isabella! Can you just tell me what you want?" he almost shouted.

"Fine! I wanted to apologize." I countered simply.

He just rolled his eyes at me while raising his hands up in the air in a gesture of surrender and exasperation. When the elevator pinged and the doors opened, he hurriedly jogged towards the glass doors that served as the main entrance of his posh apartment building. He jumped into a silver Volvo parked right in front, speeding off, leaving me to choke on the dust he left behind. Typical Bella, I swiftly ran towards the car my father allowed me to use for this purpose of bending on my knees, regrettably not for any sexual end, to finally be on Edward's good side. Barking a quick "Chase that car. Quickly!" to Felix, my heart pounded as he set the car into gear and careened towards Edward's silver Volvo. Reminiscent of a blockbuster action-thriller film my father produced, Felix weaved in and out of traffic like a demon was chasing us closely on our heels.

Twenty minutes into the chase, we found ourselves in West Hollywood. The silver Volvo (did he borrow this car from his Grandma? Surely, there are a lot of other sexier cars befitting his looks than this blah piece of machinery) pulled up into a spacious parking lot in front of a two-storey building with a big sign that says: Haven for Little Angels. An orphanage? Why would Edward stop here?

Without any prompting, Felix let the car drive into a crawl and parked several rows away from the Volvo to elude the owner's attention that he was followed. I almost laughed out loud. Felix has been watching too many of my father's movies. By the looks of it, the guy's surely learning a lot from them.

I waited until Edward fully entered the building. I told Felix to wait for me although I actually didn't have to because he won't leave anywhere without me. My father will surely have his head if he did. A pissed off Charlie Swan, big movie mogul, isn't something that he or anybody else would care to deal with. Felix stepped out of the car and trailed behind me. This was not any of my usual jaunts and since he doubles as my bodyguard as well, I allowed him to shadow me. Although it can really get irritating at times I had to get used to this -- being followed around. I had to humor Daddy Swan or else, I get locked up in Casa Swan, staring at the four walls of my room with no Happy Nights for little ole' me.

I almost tiptoed into the building. When I realized that I didn't have to go all stealthy and Mission Impossible-ish about this, I straightened up and walked my normal walk. Hell, if I wanted to tap dance my way into the halls of this frickin' building, or anywhere I wanted to, I can and I would! Edward Cullen can go to…. to … to my bedroom! (No not hell. He's too beautiful to burn in sulfur). I was being silly.

As I turned the hallway, there was a small counter manned by a middle-aged lady who was a bit on the heavy side. She looked up at me and smiled, showing gaps in between her teeth. She greeted me warmly, her eyes twinkling, "Hi! You must be the volunteer who's going to help us out today?" Without even waiting for my response, she came up to me, hugged me to her soft body and ushered me towards one of the many doors near the reception area. "Oh, we're so glad you came today! We need all the help we can get."

I was shaking my head, wanting to correct her about the misunderstanding unfolding before us at this instance. "I'm sorry but…"

"You're here to help out, right?" she said, frowning suddenly at me, her chubby fingers grasping my arms, seemingly in desperation. "You're here to help out the kids as Edward entertains them, right?"

My eyebrows rose as I realized this could be my chance to talk with Edward. We'll be in front of innocent little kids so I doubt if he can act all boorish and emo on me. "Yes! That's right! I'm here to help. I'm the volunteer. That's right!" I gushed, giving her my best Miss Goody Two Shoes smile.

"You are Jenny, right?" she suspiciously narrowed her eyes at me.

I tried to give her my most innocent look. "In the flesh. Where are the kids? I'm excited to meet them" Oh God! Please let there be one kid, ok, two, at the most! Or, I'll just head straight to Edward, say my piece and book out of this place like a bat out of hell.

She introduced herself as "Mary", held my hand and led me towards double doors three rooms down. My eyes almost popped out of their sockets when she revealed what's behind them. I gripped her hand in panic. Lo and behold! A sea of kids buzzed noisily in the huge room. It was like a madhouse inside! About a hundred (or so I thought) kids of all ages fluttered about, excited chatter and laughter permeated the spacious room.

I took a step back. And then another. _I can't deal with this!_ My head felt light and woozy, I felt like I was going to be acquainted with the shiny tiled floor very soon (due to fainting) if I don't run out of here. Alas! Mary clutched at my waist with a vise-like grip to keep me in my place. She must have encountered people actually running out of here once they see the chaotic scene inside so she knew what to do with me to make me stay. "Don't worry. They're lovely kids. Go! Edward must be in there somewhere now," she whispered in my ear, chuckling.

I failed to see the humor in the situation though. The lady instantly got me worried about the status of her mental health. There seems to be nothing "lovely" about the midgets in front of me. Okay, they must be close to thirty children in the room and not a hundred. You can't blame me for the exaggeration; but still, they're more than what I'm used to. I mean, I'm rarely around little rascals…. uhm… I mean, children… and I'm not exactly comfortable being around them. One kid or two, probably, I can handle that. What could be so difficult about them, right? But thirty kids? Oh-hoh! This is definitely too much for me!

Suddenly, my attention was caught by a distinct movement of bronze hair in the far corner of the room where a black upright piano stood. Edward came out from a small room adjacent to the piano and now he's arranging sheets of music on it. A little blond girl shyly stood beside him. He knelt in front of her so that he could be eye-to-eye with her as they talked. He must have said something funny because the cute little girl covered her mouth with one tiny hand and giggled like a schoolgirl flirting with her crush. Wow! She has the basic moves down pat! She's got a lot of potential, I thought smiling to myself. I'll give her about eight more years and she'll have every boy drooling over her, for sure.

When she went back to her seat to talk with a redheaded boy about the same age as her, I decided to walk over to Edward and make my presence known. Just as I was about to reach him, he announced: "Alright, kids. I have new songs here that I'm sure you'll enjoy…" he then quickly turned around and gaped at me.

Pursing his lips, he ran his hands through his hair. Apparently, he's not pleased when he saw me. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm a volunteer?" I said, slightly uncertain.

"Right," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. I fought the urge to bop him on the head.

Almost fuming, I tried to count slowly to keep my temper even.

Wearing a bright smile, all the time trying to look genuinely pleased, I said: "So, let's get this going! What can I do to help you?"

He smirked. "So… you're really going to play this out, huh?" I thought I saw an evil glint behind his green eyes and seriously, I got scared. I swallowed nervously. _This can't go well._

He then gave me instructions to keep the children from making too much noise as he plays the piano for them. Apparently, this was going to be entertainment and music lesson time for the children. Time to time, he would motion for a child or two to stand beside him and sing with him while he played the melody. The children seem to be enthralled by Edward. Frankly, so was I. His piano-playing was flawless while his voice sounded rich and clear. He had very good rapport with the tiny monsters. I, on the other hand, was practically useless. They wouldn't listen to me. When I told them to sit, they would completely ignore me until I gave up. I felt so out of my element, like a fish out of water. I had no frigging clue what to do and how to act around them.

After jamming with Edward, the kids requested arts and crafts time. Edward motioned for me to go to the supplies room with him. Another volunteer came in to keep the kids in line as they waited for the art materials to be distributed. Edward gathered various supplies while I stood behind him, still clueless about the goings on in the room. I tried to open my mouth to tell him what I came here for but he just shoved packs of crayons, paper and heaven-knows-what-else in my arms and quickly ambled out of the supply room. Left with nothing to do but follow him, I walked out and roughly and unceremoniously dumped everything on one of the tables. Everything dropped on the surface with a loud sound. Eyes of various colors stared up at me --- innocent, little eyes that had no idea what was going on in my head. I coldly stared at them, silently challenging them to make a remark about my action although a twinge of guilt pinched my heart that I was showing them this unkind side of me. Something tight gripped my right arm and I felt myself being pulled back to the small room in the corner.

"What the fuck were you doing?!" he hissed at me, his face only a few inches away from mine. He was livid!

"What the hell do you care?" I hissed back.

"You don't come here and show attitude towards these kids!"

"Why not?!" I yelled at him. Bella the Brat's back in the room!

"Would you keep it down?" He wiped his face with his hand and leaned back on the wall to stare at me. "Look, Bella. These kids, I don't know if you realize you're in an orphanage. They need people to come here and show them they're cared for and loved. They were brought here because they were abandoned, given up or abused. They've had enough rejection and pain enough to last them a lifetime," he said in a shaky voice, his hands trembled with the passion of his speech. "I feel that you came here because of me. And I'll be damned if I'll allow you to show your bitchiness in front of them! If you can't act nice in front of these beautiful children, leave now! You don't have to be here," and with that, he whirled around and went back to the kids as he put on his happy face.

Suddenly, uncharacteristic of me though it was, I contemplated on his impassioned monologue. Truthfully, what Edward explained seconds ago was a concept alien to me. I lived in a world of diamonds, fancy cars and dresses, camera flashes and endless partying. My father contributed to several charities but the extent of his involvement would be signing his name on a check. I had no previous exposure to the kind of world these children lived in as Edward described. Strangely, I felt a sudden emptiness as well as curiosity as to how these little people could have suffered so much in their very young life.

As I went back to the room, I saw them with a different set of eyes. Suddenly, they didn't seem like little monsters to me. I saw myself in the little girl who talked to Edward near the piano and my heart bled a bit when I imagined her bundled up as a baby and with one final kiss, left at the doorstep of the orphanage by her crying mother. I looked at the redheaded boy, seeing a little Emmett being whipped by his father, leaving bruises and welts on his young skin. My heart contracted with pain as I visualized these children suffering from various forms of abuse, all feeling pain and hurt, unloved. With my changed sight, I looked around the large room, instantly noticing details: the simple clothes the children wore, ratty shoes and socks that sometimes don't match, old rag dolls carried around by some of the little girls that seemed to be better off as, well, rags than playthings.

With my preoccupation, I didn't realize that Edward was back and was staring at me with angry eyes again.

"You're of no use here. You'd better leave now," he said coldly, his green eyes looking like frozen crystals of ice. I felt a chill deep in my bones

His words cut me and though I didn't want to show it, I failed to hold back a sob as I turned and ran away as fast as I can before he saw my tears falling.

I ignored Mary when she called out "Jenny!" and pushed my way out of the front doors and into Felix' arms. He was like an uncle to me. I didn't fight him off when he hugged me to him and led me to the car, speeding away from the building and Edward.

------

I moped around in the house for three days. I spent most of my time in the library or in the pool. The heat was making me more depressed. I was beyond caring now whether I'd get my credit cards and cars back. Edward's words still stung. He had no idea what was going on in my mind yet he was quick to judge me. _Can you really blame him?_ A small voice asked in my head. Sure, I didn't show him my "angelic and saintly" side (though I'm not sure if I did have that) but still…. I was feeling emotions about those kids that I've never had before, right? That should count for something, right? I adjusted the skimpy cup of my bikini as it almost revealed one of my girls when I heard somebody call out my name.

I turned towards the shrill-voiced intruder and saw Alice gleefully bounding towards me. Wow! I envy this girl's energy. The Energizer Bunny doesn't have anything on her.

"Hi, Bella! What are you doing moping around?" she batted her eyelashes at me. I just rolled my eyes at her.

"So, who snitched on me?"

"I sorta got it out of Edward that you followed him to the Haven, you posed as Jenny The Volunteer and left in a hurry when he went cranky on you," she giggled, turning her attention to my drink, grabbed and sipped on it. "Uhmm! This is really good!"

I just sniffed, refusing to acknowledge what she said. She just stared at me as she finished off my lemonade.

"Bella, this is something you have to understand about Edward. He absolutely loves kids and the ones there at that orphanage are the most special to him. Don't ask me why but they just are. By now I think you know he's a famous musician right? People pay big bucks to hear him play; but he uses his talent to benefit those kids, to make them happy. I'm not just talking about money, okay? He really goes out of his way to share his time with them," she sighed, leaning back on the chaise lounge adjacent to mine, making herself more comfortable.

"He really feels for them, you know. He doesn't want those kids upset in any way. So, when he saw you just roughly drop the things on the table and he said you… scowled at the children, is that right?" she paused to give me a chance to deny what was told her. I just nodded and she continued, "well, he lost it he said. Did you cry when you left?"

I nodded again, surprisingly unable to find my voice. Alice and I are still new to this "friends" business so I don't know yet just how much I can trust her. So, I let her lead this conversation to where she wanted it to go.

"Edward thought so. You know my best friend can be so rude but this time he seems to be sorry that he acted in that manner with you."

Shrugging, I grabbed my glass of lemonade and sipped the straw, only coming up with air. I then realized that Alice finished everything off earlier. She giggled.

"It doesn't really matter anymore. He's made it clear as day that he doesn't want anything to do with me."

Alice stared intently at me. "How much do you like Edward?"

I invoke the Fifth Amendment.

Alice scooted over to my side and nudged me with her elbow. "Come on! You can tell me!"

"Fine! Fine!" I yelled, raising my hands in surrender, suddenly exasperated at this pushy midget. "I REALLY like him, okay? Happy now?"

"As in like him, like him?" wiggling her eyebrows teasingly at me, she started to tickle me. I almost pushed her off the chaise lounge but I pulled her back in time before she plopped to the hard floor. We both laughed and it felt so good to laugh again.

"Look, Bella. I warned you, you have to change your strategy with Edward. You can't go all bitchy on him. You won't go anywhere with him that way. He likes sweet girls. Demure, you know. Virginal!"

Rolling my eyes at her, I dove into the inviting water. "I can't do that, Alice. That's going to be too hard for me," I muttered as I rose to the surface for air.

Alice stood near the pool, crossing her arms in front of her chest, her purple shirt starting to cling to her body because of the heat. "Well, you have to at least try. You keep on pushing him away with your snarky attitude. Just try to be sweet, bat your eyelashes at him more, be more "Miss Prim and Proper" and less bitchy."

"I don't know, Alice. I have to think about it."

I kept on doing slow crawls as I talked to Alice. Seriously, I don't know right now what to do with Edward. I really, really like him but I just don't know how to deal with his moodiness. I saw a different Edward when he interacted with the kids at the orphanage. It would be nice to be with that guy for sure; but I just seem to always get on his bad side. My confidence is wavering right now that I might not have what it takes to bring out his beautiful smile. A dark cloud seems to constantly hover on his head when he's with me.

"Bella, don't tell me you're giving up on him!" Alice challenged, tapping her foot on the tile near the edge of the pool. I swam towards her.

"Alice, why don't you just mind your own business? I'll think of some grand plan to win Edward's heart, okay?"

"I'm telling you, you need my help this time, Bella. I know him better than you do, remember?"

I shielded my eye from the sun with my left hand as I stared up at her. Tiny Midget won't give up! I raised my right hand to her and said, "Help me up?"

She rolled her eyes at me and reached down to grab my extended hand. I propped my feet on the wall of the pool, and jerked her hand, pulling her in as hard as I can. With a loud shriek of surprise, she plunged into the cool water, posh clothes and shoes now positively ruined by the chlorine.

As she surfaced, I managed to swim away from her, laughing out loud.

"Oooohhh!!! I'll get you for this, Bella!" she yelled, shaking her tiny fists at me. She doesn't scare me!

"Yeah! Yeah! Payback's a bitch, Alice! That's what you get for drinking all of my lemonade!" I shouted back, laughing loudly as I ran out of the pool to get away from meddling little Mary Alice Brandon.

I don't need her help. I, Miss Isabella-the-Scheming-Goddess-Swan, can plot her way into Edward Cullen's heart.

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It wasn't that difficult to set up. I called Rosalie again after Alice left that evening. She finds it hard to turn me down and I always take advantage of that. I enumerated the things I want done and reminded her to just send whatever expenses my plan will incur to my father's personal secretary. As I turned in for the night, I smiled to myself and dozed off with images of Edward finally smiling at me.

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The next day, I phoned my dad to let him know that I'll be needing Felix to drive for me again. He asked if I had carried out our deal and I told him that that's my reason for going out this afternoon. He agreed without any hesitation so off I went.

When we reached our destination, I asked Felix to just park near the door and not follow me in anymore. He looked a bit nervous about that; so, to appease him, I told him he can just stay in the waiting area.

This time, I knew what to expect so I strutted confidently towards Mary.

"Hi, Jenny! You're back!" she said warmly, walking towards me to envelope me in a tight hug.

I had to laugh at that. I think this time I have to correct her. "I'm sorry, Mary. I didn't mean to mislead you but my name's not Jenny. I'm really Bella. Bella Swan."

She seemed confused and then suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Oh my God! You. Are. The. Bella Swan?" she shrieked as she jumped up and down. "Oh, God, Bella! Everything came today! Come! Come with me!"

She practically dragged me towards the second floor of the building. She opened the first door from the stairs and swept the room with a grand gesture. This was obviously the room for some of the girls. The beds were covered with light pink sheets that seem to have faded with age; the room was almost bare except for the beds; the walls had chipping paint in some areas and in other, wallpaper that were peeling away. Overall, the room was neat but it has great potential to look so much better. A fresh layer of pretty wallpaper or a fresh coat of paint can greatly enhance the ambiance. It won't hurt to add some girly bedsheets and new furniture, I thought to myself.

As I followed the direction of Mary's hand, looking away at the details of the room, I saw about ten pairs of eyes excitedly staring back at me. Piles of new clothes, colorful boxes of shoes, socks and undies still wrapped in their plastic bags, shirts, skirts, jeans and shorts of varying colors and sizes can be found on the girls' beds. Old stuff were strewn on the floor, ready to be picked up for disposal.

"Girls, this is Miss Bella Swan. She sent over all those stuff for you today," she gladly announced to the girls in the room. Without any further prompting or encouragement, the ten girls whose ages range from probably six to nine years old, all rushed to hug me. Eager, warm little arms wrapped around me in tight hugs. Suddenly, I felt choked up with all the spirit of gratitude flooding out of these little children. I've never experienced anything like this before. I felt warm and fuzzy inside. I felt good and … nice. Taken aback I sure was but I decided to bask in the tenderness of the moment. I looked down at their angelic faces and I couldn't help but fall slightly in love with each one.

"Miss Bella, I love my dress. I'm going to wear it on my birthday!" one blonde girl proudly announced, twirling around to show off her white dress that had cute ruffles and small bows around the waist. I just smiled back at her, not knowing what to say. Eventually, I learned the blond girl's name was "Ashley" and that she was six years old. In a matter of minutes, the girls managed to show me their new stuff, their eyes all aglow with excitement and happiness. I felt lightheaded, drunk almost, with the joy filling my heart. Now, I can understand why Edward loves these children. They're such sweethearts!

After almost two hours of non-stop chatter (throw in an impromptu fashion show), Mary told the kids to get ready for dinner. She showed me to the other rooms where the other kids were. The reaction that I got from the first batch of kids I also got from the rest as well. Mary had to physically extricate me from the eager hold of the kids or else I couldn't leave the place before nightfall.

"Miss Bella. We truly appreciate everything you did for the kids today. As you can plainly see they're ecstatic about their new stuff," she chuckled as she linked her arms with mine.

"I never thought they could be that enthusiastic about it," I mused thoughtfully.

"You can't imagine what these kids have gone through. Even the smallest act of kindness can elicit great appreciation from them; but what you did today, oh my! I think they're going to remember this for the rest of their lives," she uttered, patting my hand and smiling genuinely at me.

As I sat on the backseat of the car, I stared out of the window, Hollywood's night lights sped by. The experience I had earlier at the Haven orphanage stirred something in me. Sure, I did it to catch Edward's attention. I'm sure the news will reach him very soon; but still I felt a deep satisfaction knowing that I did something to make people happy.. I mean, really happy. Not drunk happy, but the good kind. Mary said this could be something they can carry with them for the rest of their lives. It seems an achievement to me somehow that I'm doing something good for somebody else, something unselfish.

I still don't know the individual story of the children at that orphanage. I don't know if I do have the patience to listen to each one. I mean, look, I can barely listen to Jessica or Lauren rant about their boring sex lives so how can I sit through a little child's story about how they ended up at this group home? What if they decide to tell me about the tv shows that they watch and I pull my hair out in distress or … Gasp! fall asleep in boredom?!!! Edward would be snorting mad if I hurt any of the children's feelings. Again, I won't get anywhere with him.

Scheming to get Edward's heart seems to be sucking the life out of me. I hope that he comes around soon enough and start kissing me already!

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**A/N: There's a slight change in Bella in this chapter but more will be revealed in the upcoming ones. What did you guys think of the orphanage part? I had fun writing this one and I hope that you enjoyed reading it. Do leave reviews and comments are so welcome. In other fanfics, most of the authors mention that reviews make them write faster. Now, that I'm writing my own story I realized that indeed they have that effect on me as well. So, don't be shy and click that review button, leave a kind word or two, remarks, whatever. **

**I'm currently still working on the next chapter of my first story (The Second Time Around). So, for those who have it on Story Alert, please bear with me as I try to work on it to make it more believable. **


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